


Alone Again (Naturally)

by captain_romanova



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Canon Divergence - Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Captain America: Civil War, F/M, Oneshot, capwidow - Freeform, romanogers - Freeform, stevenat - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2020-06-27 21:39:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19798297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captain_romanova/pseuds/captain_romanova
Summary: He leaned into the hug and let himself be comforted by her. Nat poured all her heart and soul into the hug in order to help him wash away all the pain and sadness he felt. They stood like this for what seemed like forever, until Nat had to remind him of her trip to Vienna. Although Steve didn’t want to, he had no choice but to let her go, knowing that Natasha won’t be swayed into switching to his side. She cared too much about her team, her family, and would do anything to keep them all together. He wished there was some other way to fix this.





	Alone Again (Naturally)

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from the song "Alone Again (Naturally)" by Gilbert O'Sullivan. Characters are not mine, credits to Marvel for creating the characters, and the Russos and Markus & McFeely for writing the original scene. Hope you guys enjoy!

Steve was not one for funerals. He hadn’t been to one since his mother died, way back before he went under the ice, when he was still that scrawny kid from Brooklyn. Now, more than 70 years later, he found himself in a church in London, holding the casket that carried Peggy Carter’s body on his shoulder along with the other pallbearers.

He couldn’t believe that she was gone. His greatest love was now in the heavens, along with his mother, Sarah, and everyone else he lost from his past life. He still remembers the day he was reunited with Peggy, almost 3 years ago. Although she had a hard time distinguishing the past and the present due to her dementia, it was enough for Steve to be able to spend time with her to talk about her life and reminisce about their time in the war the few times she remembered it. After all, they had a lot of catching up to do.

Remembering her warm smile that was the same 70 years ago, Steve let the tears drop, but didn’t bother wiping them away.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

After the funeral, Steve stood in the aisle, reflecting on the day’s event. Hearing soft footsteps behind him, he turned around and found Natasha making her way towards him, dressed in all black.

Steve leaned against the pew. Facing Natasha, he said, “When I came out of the ice, I thought everyone I had known was gone. Then I found out she was alive. I was just lucky to have her.”

“She had your back too,” Natasha reminded him.

Steve nodded. “Who else signed?” he asked, despite already knowing. He had three people in mind who he knew would sign the Accords, and he wouldn’t be surprised if their names came out of Natasha’s lips.

“Tony, Rhodey, Vision,” Natasha replied, confirming his suspicions.

“Clint?”

“Says he’s retired.”

“Wanda?”

“TBD,” she answered with a small smile. “I’m off to Vienna for the signing of the Accords. There’s plenty of room on the jet.”

She raised her eyebrows at him, hoping that he would say yes to her offer.

Steve doesn’t say anything. Nat, sensing his hesitation, tried to assure him by saying, “Just because it’s the path with least resistance doesn’t mean it’s the wrong path. Staying together is more important than how we stay together.”

It sounded more like an assurance to herself than to Steve.

“What are we giving up to do it?” he remarked. “I’m sorry Nat, I can’t sign it.”

He looked at her, trying to gauge her reaction to his decision. She looked straight back at him and calmly said, “I know.”

“Then what are you doing here?” Steve asked Nat, to which she professed, “I didn’t want you to be alone.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steve couldn’t believe it. This woman, who was willing to sign the Accords just to keep their team together even though she knew it would put them on different sides, had flown all the way across the pond just so he wouldn’t be alone during one of the darkest days of his life. He was instantly reminded of another woman who was willing to compromise and also stand her ground when others tried to put break her apart: Peggy.

In all the years he’s known Natasha, she was always the mediator, the glue that kept the Avengers together and the bridge that helped them communicate with one another. The tough demeanor that she had on the outside was a facade that masked the caring, compassionate person she was on the inside, an aspect that she only showed to the people she trusted. All those years in the Red Room was supposed to make her into a cold, ruthless, heartless creature, but instead, it made her into one of the warmest, kindest, and passionate people Steve has ever known. He’s only seen her cry once, when Fury “died” after getting shot by the Winter Soldier, but he knew she cried more times than all the other Avengers combined because she cared so much about everyone else. She’s put others before herself so many times before that he’ll always think of her as a hero, not as a spy or assassin or agent.

Even when she has her tough exterior on, Natasha still managed to be an understanding person. The first time Steve met her, he was instantly drawn to the way she carried herself with confidence and resolve. Anybody who saw her from afar would think that she’s always been this calm and collected person, but Steve knew the truth. That inside, she had a past that she’s been trying to wipe out and makeup for the longest time.

A normal person would crumble knowing they did terrible things in their past, but Natasha, being extraordinary, used her past to raise herself up and put herself forward as a leader. And Steve found that to be one of his favorite things about her.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steve suddenly found himself being pulled into a hug by Nat, which once again proved her caring and compassionate personality.

“Come here,” she muttered to Steve, and he did.

Nat gently patted his back, and Steve let the tension he’s felt all the day go away. Her arms could make anyone feel loved, and Steve was no exception.

He leaned into the hug and let himself be comforted by her. Nat poured all her heart and soul into the hug in order to help him wash away all the pain and sadness he felt. They stood like this for what seemed like forever, until Nat had to remind him of her trip to Vienna. Although Steve didn’t want to, he had no choice but to let her go, knowing that Natasha won’t be swayed into switching to his side. She cared too much about her team, her _family_ , and would do anything to keep them all together. He wished there was some other way to fix this.

Nat stayed in his arms for another 10 seconds, then extracted herself gently from his grasp. She gave him a melancholy smile, which he returned, then tiptoed up to give him a bittersweet kiss on the cheek, mirroring the same one she gave him two years ago at the cemetery. With one last look at him, she departed, determined to try to save the only family that she had.

Steve found himself alone again, naturally.

**Author's Note:**

> Omg my first fic! This literally took me 3 years to finish because I didn't know what to write. :/ This was my favorite scene from CW (because I am Romanogers trash) and I feel like it really represents Steve and Nat's overall dynamic. I really wished that this scene in the movie was a bit longer and that it ended with a kiss but oh well....


End file.
